Thank you for two amazing years, Hamdy el-Gazzar, who is signing off from Sampsonia Way. Without fail, his column provided insight into politics in Egypt, pressing social issues, and contemporary Egyptian literature.
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“Now, what happens when writers and directors copy a show from a country that is called ‘the great Satan?'” Yaghoub Yadali highlights blatant similarities that exist between an Iranian series and a popular American one and uses this case study as a window into deep-seated issues in Iranian television.
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Presenting three poems from Diaries of Exile by Greek poet Yannis Ritsos, whose works were burned and banned several times between 1936 and 1970. Now, the latest version of his work is short-listed for the 2014 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.
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“However, the government’s pressure and suppression seems to be one of the most important sources of ideas and emotional inspiration for him.” Tienchi Martin-Liao on Ai Weiwei’s most recent exhibition in Berlin and how Chinese politics and history directly feed into his art.
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“We found that net neutrality dramatically impacts the ability of authors of all kinds to conduct research and to reach readers.” PEN American Center’s Deji Olukotun highlights the great loss of free expression if net neutrality were to go the way of the dodo.
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“At least let me pull those 37 names out of the macabre anonymity to which Castroism has condemned them in Cuba.” Orlando Pardo Lazo recounts a dark time in Cuba, referred to as the Tugboat Massacre of 1994.
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Described as “a rare voice from Venezuela” and “one of the great undiscovered literary experiences”, Israel Centeno’s newly translated book The Conspiracy is a perfect summer read. Enjoy an excerpt from this novel today.
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